In the final three games of the season, the War Eagle varsity boys soccer lost to Har-Ber 0-1 but beat Fayetteville 3-1 with the Hat Trick from Carter Ligi, which qualified the team for state. 

Without the win against Fayetteville, they would’ve been in the same situation as last year where they would need to beat Rogers High School in the final game to qualify. The RHS vs HHS game ended in a tie last year resulting in the team not qualifying for state, so the War Eagles have worked hard to not let this chance go to waste.

Although the Rogers Mounties beat the Rogers War Eagles 6-1 in the final game before the state tournament, the boys are still determined to make a come-back at state and won’t let this loss dampen their spirits. 

“That game was a very tough game for us, however, I think it was a big lesson for us. We’ll take that game as a way for us to become better going into this tournament,” said Jesse Martinez, center attacking midfielder. 

“They shouldn’t let this loss get in their heads before state. We just need to practice and get our heads back in the game and remember just because we qualified for state doesn’t mean the race is over. It’s only begun,” said Wayne Levering, assistant coach for Heritage boys varsity soccer. 

The boys have been working tirelessly all year, off-season and on-season, to get to the position that they are at now, so they are determined to try their best at state, regardless of the statistics. 

“We are very excited to be at state this year. We have been preparing these past couple days and will continue in the coming days, so we will be ready to play our first game on Thursday against Cabot. We have been working really hard all season and will continue to work hard, ” said Martinez.  

The boys will travel to their state tournament, which begins on May 9th, and battle it out on the field with other schools in 6A West.